Shaw is starting to get annoyed over the ‘starts’ statistic

Don’t get David Shaw started on which players are the so-called “starters” in a game.

He thinks that the designation is misplaced in modern college football. That’s because there are so many formations involving different personnel that the people who line up for the first play shouldn’t necessarily be honored as the game’s starters.

He thinks that may be one reason former Cardinal Coby Fleener didn’t get more postseason honors. For example, the John Mackey Award given to the nation’s top tight end went instead to Clemson’s Dwayne Allen, now Fleener’s teammate on the Indianapolis Colts.

Fleener was credited with just four starts out of Stanford’s 13 games last season, mainly because he wasn’t part of the formation the Cardinal happened to choose for the first play. According to Shaw, some voters might have noticed his few starts and written him off as a result. Shaw said Fleener led the nation’s tight ends in receptions, touchdown catches, receiving yards and yards per catch, but that’s a bit of an exaggeration.

Actually, Fleener led the nation’s tight ends only in touchdown catches with 10. His 34 catches for 667 yards and 51.3 yards per game were well off the leaders. In fact, on Saturday Stanford will face the tight end who led the country in catches (63) and yards (803) — in Tyler Eifert. Gavin Escobar of San Diego State (51-780-60.0), Ryan Otten of San Jose State (52-739-67.2) and Jack Doyle of Western Kentucky (52-614-51.2) rounded out the top four. Allen had 50 catches for 598 yards and eight touchdowns, so he had a great year too. And it should be said that award like the Mackey should consider a tight end’s blocking at least as much as his receiving.

That’s not to say Shaw doesn’t have a good point. Fleener was in a class by himself as a deep threat. And what if a team uses a wildcat formation on the first play? That makes whoever receives the snap the “starting quarterback.”

“It doesn’t make any sense,” Shaw said. He plans to take his argument to the NCAA. “I think every team should be able to designate who their starters are, and it doesn’t matter who’s on the field for the first play,” he said.